Shoe heel



June 26, 1956 M. E. JOHNSON SHOE HEEL Filed April 1, 1954 United States Patent ice SHOE HEEL Merle E. Johnson, Chicago, Ill.

Application April 1, 1954, Serial No. 420,369

5 Claims. (Cl. 36-39) This invention relates to a new and improved shoe construction for footgear and more particularly it re lates to a novel heel construction with a replaceable insert.

' It is well known that the heels of footgear such as shoes, slippers, boots, and the like are subject to excessive wear in certain localized areas to an extent which usually requires the replacement of the heel long before repair or replacement is necessary for other portions of the shoe. Depending of course to some extent upon the posture and 'gait of the wearer, the area of wear is usually confined to the rear of the heel and particularly to the outer sectors of the rear portions of the heels.

- Such excessive wear is not only unsightly but more important is the detrimental effect it has on the proper posture and orthopedic health of the individual. Heretofore, replacement of the heel as soon as any observable amount of wear had taken place, was uneconomical As a' matter of fact, shoe manufacturers recognizing this problem have attempted to alleviate this condition by constructing the heels with thickened portions at the points of maximum wear to compensate for the eventual Wear. This attempt to compensate for the excessive wear, however, is totally ineffective since the localized wear on the bottom edge of the heel is nevertheless immediately apparent. Furthermore, from a health standpoint, uneven support is afforded at the very outset and it is only dur-' ing a relatively short period of wear that a uniform thickness of heel is afforded the wearer.

Further attempts to remedy this situation have resulted in the introduction from time to time in the past of heels with replaceable discs or inserts of various types and styles. However, none of these prior devices to my knowledge have proven to be effective or practical for various reasons. Some of these heel constructions have been too complicated for practical usefulness. Some of them have afforded rotatable disc inserts which were rotated automatically by the motion or stride of the wearer. This type of heel was unacceptable for the'reason that the purchase or support was insecure, or at least a feeling of insecurity was sensed by the wearer. Additionally, these and the other heel devices, with which I am familiar, proved unsuccessful for the reason that the ins ert was not properly positioned or constructed so that all of the excessive wear could be localized therein, where-' by any appreciable wear to the remainder of the heel could be prevented.

':'It is therefore an important object of this invention to provide a new and improved heel which will overcome alllof the objections mentioned hereinabove.

Another object is to afford a heel construction which initially will afford a more healthful support conducive to the most desirable posture, and further having means for maintaining this type of support throughout the life of the heel. p

' A further object is to provide a heel with a replaceable insert which will present a neat and well groomed appearance at all times, not unlike the appearance of a new or newly heeled shoe.

Still anotherobject is to afford a replaceable circular disc insert which may be positioned in fixed relationship with the heel but which may be manually rotated to position successively one of a number of new striking surfaces in the area of maximum wear. An object relating thereto is to so construct the heel that as a new striking sector of the insert disc is moved into operational position, the old worn sector is moved to a position where it is hidden from view during the actual wearing of the shoe. I

Still afurther object is to provide an inexpensive replaceable heel insert disc, the replacement of which, after it has served its purpose, is economically practical.

Yet another object is to afford simple means for readily mounting or attaching the insert disc to the heel, said means effectively retaining the disc in operational position without permitting anyappreciable and undesirable movement thereof.

Yet a further object is to provide a shoe heel of the character described of simple, inexpensive, yeteifective and attractive construction. v

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, arrangement and a combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of the structure may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of my invention, I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings preferred embodiments thereof, from an inspection of which, when considered in connection with the following description, my invention, its mode of construction, assembly and operation, and many of its advantages should be readily understood and appreciated. Referring to the drawings in which the same characters' of reference are employed to indicate corresponding or similar parts throughout the several figures of the drawings: V

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the rear portion of a shoe embodying my improved shoe heel construction;

' Fig. 2 is a bottom plan View of a heel embodying the principles of my invention and shown in operational position on a portion of the bottom of a shoe;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the plane of line 3-3 in Fig. 2 of the drawings and showing the heel in elevation attached in operational position to a fragment of a shoe;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the Fig. 7 is afragmentary sectional view of a modified form of the. new heel construction.

Referring now to Fig. 1 of the drawings, reference numeral IO-indicates generally my improved shoe heel mounted in operational position on a shoe S comprising an upper 12, a sole 14, and one or more heel lifts such as '16, to which is attached the heel 10. The heel may be constructed of any suitable material such as leather, pulp composition, plastic, rubber, and the like. It is especially adapted for materials having some degree of elasticity such as' rubberor plastic but may of course Patented June 26, 19 56 depth at the rear edge 24 thereof. This rear edge 24 of the recess is spaced inwardly from the outer edge of the heel perhaps one-eighth of an inch. The top surface of the heel is formed with a central shallow depres sion or recess such as 26 and an opening 28 is formed through the heel extending from the bottom 29 of the depression 26 to the top 30 of the bottom recess 20. This opening may be of any desired shape but I prefer to form the same in a modified hexagonal shape, the reason for which will appear as the description proceeds. Within the recess may be mounted a circular disc or plate 32 having a central annular opening 34 with an enlarged counter-sunk bottom portion 36. This disc may be made of a resilient material such as neoprene rubber and is removably attachable within the recess 20 by means of a unique pin or button 38 which will now be described in some detail.

The button 38 is formed with an enlarged hexagonalshaped disc 49 at one end and a smaller similarly shaped disc' 42 at the other end of a central modified-hexagonalshaped shaft 44. This central shaft 44 is formed with two end surfaces such as 46 and 46 which are of considerably lesser dimension than the other sides such as 48 of the hexagon. However, each of the smaller surfaces 46 are undercut as at 50 to afford surfaces such as 52. The height of this undercut portion is sufficient to accommodate therein the thickness of the portion of the plate Wall 54 surrounding the central opening 34. Again the reason therefor will appear as the description proceeds.

It will be noted that in assembling the plate in the recess 20, the smaller pin disc 42 is first inserted through the central plate opening 34 until the larger pin disc 40 rests within the countersunk portion 36 of the disc. In this position the upper portion of the pin shaft 44 and the upper pin disc 40 protrude above the top of the insert plate 32.

It will further be noted that the reduced thickness of the plate wall portion 54 above the countersunk portion 36 is positioned within the undercut segment 50 of the button shaft 44 with the top of the plate abutting the top of the undercut segment. This helps to maintain the plate in proper immovable relationship on the disc.

When the plate 32 has been assembled on the pin or button 38 in the manner described hereinabove, the assembly may then be attached to the heel member 18 in the following manner. The upwardly protruding smaller disc member of the button 38 is merely forced up through the central heel opening 28 until the sarnerests within a countersunk portion 56 of the heel, as noted in Fig. 3 of the drawings. When so assembled it will be apparent that the plate 32 is mounted in operational position within the recess 20. By virtue of the inclined formation of the recess 20, the rear portion of the plate protrudes below the bottom of the rear portion of the heel 18 as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings. In other words, the area of maximum wear of the heel is raised so that it does not directly contact the ground. Only the rear portion of the removable disc or plate 32 touches the ground. Hence, this portion of the heel is totally free from wear and never becomes worn or rundown. The wear is confined only to the removable plate 32.

As was previously stated, the area of maximum wear ordinarily is confined to the outside rear sector of the heel, shown in Fig. 2 as sector W. This means of course that this sector of the heel plate is the portion which will be excessively worn down and run over. When this occurs, afterat least several weeks wear, the heel plate 32 may be rotated through an arc of 60 to position a new and unworn sector in this area of maximum wear. This may be done by merely grasping in the fingers, a marginal edge portion of the plate and rotating the same until the hexagonal shaped outer disc 40 of the pin or button 38 is first moved out of its fitted position within the hexagonal countersunk recess 36 and then rotated until it once more falls back into normal alignment and position; the elasticity and flexibility of the plate material being such that it is readily but only tem porarily distorted so that manual rotation in the manner described above is readily accomplished. Moreover, the annular shape of the plate opening 34 is further conducive to facilitating said rotation. On the other hand, the hexagonal shape of both the button shaft 44 and the heel opening 28 normally prevents the rotation of the button Within the heel itself. Thus the plate is secured in substantially immovable position within the recess dur-. ing the wearing period; the button or pin is retained in similar position during both the wearing period and during the plate-rotating manual operation and at the same time, the plate may be readily rotated without excessive effort whenever necessary.

After the plate 32 has been rotated through its six positions, i. e. through an arc of 360 (the six sides of the hexagonal-shaped button), the same is stripped from the button 38 and replaced by a new plate. If desired, a lubricant such as Water or oil may be used to facilitate the replacement operation.

It will be noted in Figs. 2, 3, and 5 of the drawings that the bottom surface or the replaceable plate 32 is formed with a star-shaped pattern 60. This is primarily for the purpose of increasing the frictional properties or purchase of the plate and obviously may be formed in any desirable pattern or shape. So also, it will be noted that the circumferential edge surface 62 of the plate 32 is knurled or roughened likewise for the purpose of offering a better purchase or friction surface to facilitate manual rotation of the plates. In Fig. 5 of the drawings it will be noted that the plate 32 is somewhat dished so that its outer edges curl upwardly. This insures a closer and more intimate relationship between the plate 32 and the heel 18 within the recess 20. Thus no openings or spaces are afforded therebetween through which extraneous materials may enter and lodge between the plate and the heel.

For the purpose of affixing the principal heel member 18 to the shoe itself, countersunk nail openings such as 63 may be provided. These in turn may be provided with concentric raised annular protuberances such as 64. Nails such as 66 may be driven therein to complete the attachment of the heel to the shoe.

Despite the fact that the rear portion of the plate 32 extends below the bottom of the principal heel member 18, it should be noted that when the heel is in opera tional position, it nevertheless is unnoticed by the" eye of the average individual, at least during thetime that the wearer is standing of walking thereon. It has further been determined that the slight lift which is im arted to the rear of the heel by the inclined position of the plate, is highly beneficial from an orthopedic standpoint to the normal posture of the wearer. It tends to shift the Weight of the person from a flat-footed heel position to a more natural poised position, i. e. towards the ball of the foot.

In Fig. 7 of the drawings there is illustrated a modification of the principal embodiment wherein similar parts are indicated by like numerals with the added suffix a. In this embodiment the pin or button may be formed of a material such as hard rubber and fabricated directly in the heel. Thus, it will be perceived that the pin 38a has its top smaller disc 42a embedded in the heel portion-l 8a with the same bonded as at 70 along the marginal edges of the button portion embedded in the heel 18a.

In this embodiment the removable plate 32a may be mounted on the button, rotated, removed and replaced just as in the first described embodiment. However, the button 38a is irreplaceable except when the heel 18a itself is replaced.

From the foregoing description it should be apparent that I have provided a simply constructed, yet effective heel construction in which there is afforded a replaceable wearing or striking plate so positioned that substantially all of the normally localized excessive wear is confined thereto. In normal wearing use the plate is substantially immovable and particularly nonrotatable. Nevertheless, the plate may be manually rotated without excessive effort whenever it is desired to move a new, unworn sector of the plate into the area of maximum wear. The plate is capable of being rotated through six successive positions for the purpose mentioned hereinabove, and as a new plate sector is moved into operational position, the old, worn, and rundown sector is moved to a more or less hidden position. The heel itself, or what is normally regarded as the heel, is raised sufficiently so that it does not contact the ground during normal wearing. However, the edge of the plate being spaced inwardly from the outer edge of the heel, the plate itself is normally hidden from view. Thus the appearance presented is not unlike that presented by the standard heel heretofore customarily used. Since the rear portion of the heel is raised, no wear occurs at this point and consequently a new unworn, even, neat, well-groomed appearance is permanently presented thereby.

From a health standpoint, the novel construction insures continuous, correct posture by eliminating the heretofore inevitable wearing and running-down of the heels at certain localized areas.

It is believed that my invention, its mode of construction and assembly, and many of its advantages should be readily understood from the foregoing without further description, and it should also be manifest that while preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described for illustrative purposes, the structural details are nevertheless capable of wide variation within the purview of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a device of the character described, a heel of substantially uniform thickness formed with an annular recess in the bottom thereof, said recess inclined downwardly towards the rear thereof, a replaceable annular plate mounted in said recess with a rear portion thereof protruding below the bottom of the heel, means for mounting said plate in said recess in substantially nonrotatable relationship, said plate manually rotatable for repositioning successive sectors of the same one during each of a plurality of periods of wear.

2. A rubber heel of the character described comprising in combination a principal heel member, said member formed with a circular bottom recess having the rear edge thereof spaced from the rear edge of the heel member, said recess varying continuously in depth from the front to the rear with the maximum depth at the front, said heel having an opening of modified hexagonal shape formed therethrough, said opening positioned centrally in said recess; a replaceable flexible wearing plate comprising a circular disc of uniform thickness, said disc positioned in the recess and afiixed to the heel member with a rear portion thereof protruding below the bottom of the heel member, said Wearing plate formed with a central annular opening therethrough, said opening counter-sunk in hexagonal shape on one side; and means for afiixing said plate to said heel member, said means comprising a button headed at both ends of a shaft in the form of hexagonal-shaped discs, one disc being smaller than the other, said shaft being six-sided with two opposite sides being narrower than the other sides, said narrower sides being undercut adjacent thelarger disc, said larger button disc adapted to fit within the counter-sunk portion of said plate with said button shaft positioned through both the plate opening and the heel opening, said button non-rotatable with respect to the heel, said plate manually rotatable with respect to the button.

3. A rubber heel of the character described comprising a principal heel member of substantially uniform thickness formed with an annular recess, the depth of said recess varying gradually from the front to the rear with the maximum depth at the front thereof, a headed button protruding from the center of said recess, said button bonded to the principal heel member; a replaceable flexible wearing plate comprising a circular disc of uniform thickness, said disc positioned in the recess and aflixed to the heel member with a rear portion thereof protruding below the bottom of the heel member, said wearing plate formed with a central annular opening therethrough, said opening counter-sunk in hexagonal shape on one side, and a mounting button positioned through said plate opening and adapted to mount said plate in substantially non-rotatable relationship in said heel member, said plate manually rotatable to reposition successive sectors thereof in the area of maximum wear of the heel.

4. In a heel for footgear of the character described, a principal heel member of substantially uniform thickness, said member formed with a circular bottom recess having the rear edge thereof spaced from the rear edge of the heel member, said recess varying continuously in depth from the front to the rear with the maximum depth at the front, said heel having an opening of modified hexagonal shape formed therethrough, said opening positioned centrally in said recess, replaceable wear means positioned in said recess with a rear portion thereof protruding below the bottom of the heel and means insertable in said opening for mounting said replaceable wear means in substantially non-rotatable operational position within said recess.

5. In a heel for footgear of the character described, a principal heel member of substantially uniform thickness, said member formed with a circular bottom recess having the rear edge thereof spaced from the rear edge of the heel member, said recess varying continuously in depth from the front to the rear with the maximum depth at the front, said heel having an opening formed therethrough, said opening positioned centrally in said recess, replaceable wear means comprising a flexible disc of uniform thickness formed with a central opening therethrough, means insertable in said opening for mounting said replaceable wear means in substantially non-rotatable operational position within said recess with a rear portion of said replaceable Wear means protruding below-the bottom of the heel, and said means for mounting said replaceable wear means comprising a button having at least one pluralsided head, said flexible disc being manually rotatable through a plurality of positions corresponding in number to the sides of said head.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 106,814 Harris Aug. 30, 1870 1,439,757 Redman Dec. 26, 1922 1,518,875 Redman Dec. 9, 1924 1,551,345 Tomasian Aug. 25, 1925 1,584,983 Eichorn May 18, 1926 1,585,220 Willis May 18, 1926 1,649,294 Eichorn Nov. 15, 1927 2,313,368 Smith Mar. 9, 1943 2,412,899 Margolis Dec. 17, 1946 2,447,905 Gilowitz Aug. 24, 1948 2,628,439 Rochlin Feb. 17, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 15,680 Germany Oct. 13, 1881 7356/ 10 Great Britain Mar. 24, 1911 66,786 Austria Oct. 10, 1914 

